In this study, a new chemotherapeutic agent, panitumumab, will be tested in combination with another chemotherapeutic drug, capecitabine, along with external radiotherapy, to find out whether this combination is effective and safe to use before surgery.

A Phase II Pilot Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy With Capecitabine, Panitumumab and External Beam Radiation, in Patients With Localized, Non-Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

To estimate the proportions of patients (with localized, resectable and borderline resectable, non-metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma) treated with the study regimen alive at 2-years from the date of registration.

To determine the fraction of patients that proceed to planned surgery with the removal of primary tumor (R0/R1) following neoadjuvant therapy; estimate the overall survival in this patient population; evaluate the rate of R0, R1 and R2 resection (defined as per 6th edition of AJCC Cancer Staging Manual) in patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy; the overall response rate to chemoradiation therapy; the biomarker response to chemoradiation through evaluation of circulating CA19-9 levels; to evaluate the toxicity associated with this regimen.

Patients will receive six weekly doses of panitumumab (2.5mg/kg) in conjunction oral capecitabine 825 mg/m2 PO bid Mon-Friday and external beam radiation therapy. Panitumumab and oral capecitabine will begin on the first week of external beam radiotherapy and will continue throughout the course of external beam radiation therapy, and will be discontinued following the conclusion of external beam radiation therapy.

Patients will be reevaluated for surgical resection 4-6 weeks after completion of neoadjuvant therapy.

After surgical resection, adjuvant systemic chemotherapy with gemcitabine for six months is strongly recommended for all patients.

Neoadjuvant or preoperative therapy with chemotherapy and radiation therapy has been proposed as an alternative approach in patients with localized pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Advantages are: 1) early start of systemic therapy targeting micrometastatic disease; 2) increased compliance with chemoradiotherapy; 3) increase primary tumor complete resection rates; 4) avoidance of surgery in patients with rapidly developing metastatic disease; and 5) importantly, it provides an important resource for research in terms of tissue acquisition before and after therapy . Finally, this is an opportunity to test the safety and efficacy of a novel combination of weekly panitumumab, oral capecitabine and radiation in pancreatic cancer.

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:

18 Years and older (Adult, Senior)

Genders Eligible for Study:

Both

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

No

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Cytological or histological confirmation of pancreatic adenocarcinoma is required.

Only patients with localized and apparently resectable, non-metastatic tumors are eligible. All patients must be staged with a chest X-ray or chest CT and abdominal and pelvic CT scan or MRI.

One of the following radiological criteria must be met and recorded in chart by dedicated surgeon prior to enrollment.

A)Localized, potentially resectable : 1) no evidence of tumor extension to the celiac axis, hepatic artery or superior mesenteric artery; 2) no evidence of tumor encasement or occlusion of superior mesenteric vein (SMV) or the SMV/portal vein(PV) confluence; 3) no evidence of visceral or peritoneal metastasis

B)Borderline resectable: 1) no extra pancreatic disease, (2) the following possible tumor-vessel relationships: an SMV-PV confluence that can be reconstructed even if short segment venous occlusion is present; tumor abutment of the SMA of ≤180°; or short segment encasement of the hepatic artery amenable to resection and reconstruction.

Protocol treatment would pose significant risk to an unborn child. Pregnant women should not be enrolled, and women of child-bearing age should be strongly encouraged to practice effective birth control during and for six months after the trial. Non-pregnant and non-breast-feeding. Female participants of child-bearing potential must have a negative urine or serum pregnancy test prior to registration. Perimenopausal participants must be amenorrheic > 12 months to be considered not of childbearing potential. All patients (men and women) of reproductive potential must agree to use an effective method of birth-control while receiving study therapy and for six months after completion of therapy.

Prior history of interstitial lung disease e.g. pneumonitis or pulmonary fibrosis or any evidence of interstitial lung disease on baseline chest CT scan.

Contacts and Locations

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below.
For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01130701